2026 Fisheries Management " Proposals " for SOG & SVI

Guest speakers 👍
Would it be possible to get someone to speak about the occurrence of the SRKW in the Sailish Sea? Maybe someone to speak about the number of unmarked hatchery salmon? Perhaps someone to speak about the actual number of salmon in the Sailish Sea for the last five years?
 
No matter what, we can't ignore the actual hard facts. Not even if you are an ENGO leaning person. Hard facts on the SRKW is not that difficult to visualize in a timeline.

Facts

Previous to taking the first documented whale, there was commercial whaling.

Previous to the 1964 whale taken for captivity for the vancouver aquarium, there was no real scientific data on how many whales total, how many in each pod, what the age and sex were, or anything really. Just little blips of documentation.

During the captivity captures, there was no documentation of how many were killed in the process.

Once the captures were outlawed. There has been more studies and documentation following the pods, naming the whales and determining their age and sex, as well as total counts of these populations.

They took the smaller whales once the companies realized it was a better investment.

The SRKW has inbreed to an extent that science doesn't have all the answers to.

Those whales are the best fisherman in the ocean along side our salmon is plentiful enough to support them.

They don't just eat Chinook salmon.

Recreation angling is not preventing these whales from feeding.


These are just the bullet points of the timeline I put together when I researched the documentation. Whatever is avaiable. Articles, interview videos, documentaries and documented scientific research.




My own OP

I'll bet there's not a scientist in the world who could sign off on the 100 year or another 2 generations outcome of how these populations will pan out, even if they had " chinook" salmon every day for the next 100 years


I'm with @fish brain. Except ill raise you one. Can someone put a timelime or somthing explaining the actual numbers of fish? Including enhancement, clip or no clip, all regions around the SOG south of nanaimo "including Howe Sound" and all the way around to Barkley sound, then include all of Washington, Oregon and Northern California, for the last 5 years?

Our DFO should be doing that
 
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Thomas Sewid’s post

This event in Duncan Sunday October 19th is going to be epic! The event is to bring attention to Government that the proposed sport fishing closures on southern Vancouver Island is more evidence The Federal Department of Fisheries Canada (DFO) has failed it's responsibilities to manage our Pacific marine resources properly.

DFO must initiate a harvest of seals and sea lions to help protect salmon and other fin fish from being eaten to extinction from a (pinniped) overpopulation.

DFO without proper science is saying these closures for sport fishing are needed to help protect the Southern Killer Whale population. Their dim-whit approach to protecting Chinook/King salmon that the southern orca supposedly only eat. What a crock, they eat other salmon as well, it's been observed.

If these closures are to be implemented, it will be the demise of many business's that depend upon the sport fishing industry. These closures will destroy coastal communities.

Harvest or cull seals and sea lions is the best way and the only way to truly protect our salmon resources.

A great line up of speakers and now Jim Shockey and Gary Cooper will be there to speak! I met Gary when I helped on one of his sport fishing shows in the early 1990's and I met Jim Shockey when I was a grizzly bear hunting guide.

This event is building to be a historic gathering of people demanding DFO smarten the hell up and listen to WE THE PEOPLE and manage our Pacific Coast properly and initiate a seal and sea lion sustainable hunt/harvest for all!

Time for you to make a stand and attend this event if you truly care about our salmon and other fin fish resources!

HARVEST THE HERDS!

Ask to join Pacific Balance marine Management on Facebook to learn more.

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Let's also not forget that this isn't just about Port Renfrew or the JF, it's also about the southern gulf islands, and area 29 in front of the fraser river, the 10mph speed zone out front of the JF, and the current whale zones that are in place already in the southern gulf islands. We should strongly vote against ever single one.
 
i was doing some quick research and found a news clip from 2021 that has some experts that suspect the big change in hunting areas for the orcas was social. The leader of J pod was the grandmother until 2016. When she died, a new leader took over the pod. That leader may just have different ideas or preferences on feeding locations and times. We know there are more salmon in JDF in the last few years, so the orcas should not solely be tethered to food volume and locations. https://chekplus.ca/m/NIoAjgZq/sout...an-100-days-say-researchers?r=pnOgUICT&play=1
 
I think the elephant in the room the ENGOs & the government are very careful to ignore - but is driving the panic behind the scenes - is the "minimum viable population" (MVP) number for a population already suffering from decades of inbreeding.

Typically, that number is something above 200 individuals - dependent upon if/how isolated and disconnected that population is from other populations & those potential inputs of genetic diversity.

In this case - SRKW MVP - it is more likely above 500 animals. And the current population number is ~74 individuals.

In other words - the SRKWs are likely doomed to continue to slowly die off into memory with the associated rise and take over by the expanding NRKW pods - despite even shutting down every single fishery on the coast "just in case".

In other words - shutting down fisheries is merely a political distraction designed to play to the panic of the ENGOs instead of challenging them on their unsupported assertions about Chinook supply being the largest issue wrt SRKW long-term population viability.

AND I can't find anyone in the government or DFO admitting this - or coming out and admitting what the MPV for the SRKW population actually is - or what the legacy of impacts of generations of inbreeding is, currently.

I think some very strong light needs to be shone on that elephant in the corner of the room.

 
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Southern resident killer whales encounter higher prey densities than northern resident killer whales during summer​



Here is a quote I pulled right out of the above Canadian Journal of Fisheries and Aquatic Sciences article above that wildmanyeah posted. Written by 3 Scientists, one of which most of us know, Andrew Trites , Marine Mammal Research Unit/UBC. Mei Sato from same dept at UBC and the 3rd is a Fisheries and Oceans Biologist in Sidney BC/ University of Victoria.

"Contrary to expectations, we found that both killer whale habitats had patchy distributions of prey that did not differ in their frequencies of occurrence, nor in the size compositions of individual fish. However, the density of fish within each patch was 4–6 times higher in the southern resident killer whale habitat. These findings do not support the hypothesis that southern resident killer whales are experiencing a prey shortage in the Salish Sea during summer and suggest a combination of other factors is affecting overall foraging success"

This is a 2021 finding however the information seems to be no different now. The conclusion that "A combination of factors is affecting overall foraging success" is obviously broad and vague conclusion so I think the short answer is they don't know for sure - but its not lack of food source. Interesting to me is that the SRKW spend most of the year down south in the USA waters. They are only in our waters about 3-4 months. Andrew Trites has pointed out in interviews and a talk I attended at UBC that the SRKW arrive back into BC in the spring/summer looking thinner and emaciated so the health issues may not even be caused by something in our BC waters.

As others have pointed out this is the argument to DFO and our politicians - How can DFO ignore science and get away with it ? There simply should be no SRKW area fishing closures at all. Especially fishing closures that do nothing for SRKW and yet severely damage the fishing businesses and the economy that fishing brings to the province. SRKW fishing closure areas are implemented by DFO simply to appease ENGO's complaining about fishing in BC. Recreational/public fishing is an easy target because we don't have a large organized voice nor have the funding backing like ENGO's do.

The general public lacks the needed education on the facts regarding the SRKW issue to understand the SRKW situation. Those that are funding ENGO's will mostly have no idea of the scientific research that proves SRKW are not having health issues because recreational fishing is causing the SRKW lack of food. ENGO's ignore the science because the truth is boring and doesn't garner funding. For goodness sakes DFO/Gov also ignores science when it doesn't fit their agenda.

And if ENGO's and DFO/GOV think recreational fishing from our small boats create noise and other actions that interfere with SRKW foraging .... but its ok for freighters, ferries, commercial vessels and other non fishing recreational boats like whale watchers to continue with their activities in the SRKW area fishing closure areas then I have lost complete faith in the whole process of helping the SRKW.
 
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I think we need to identify here the extremely biased way of wording and intentional misuse of the word " Prey ", to manipulate readers and illicit sympathy for thier own agenda.

In reality the Orca is an apex predator. Which means everything is prey and it has no defined predators. The chinook salmon is both a predator and prey, for multiple species.

Furthermore anyone reading a report from these ENGOs articles and reports should not be received as proper scientific advise.
 
probably was referring to this


Victoria, October 14 | Abbotsford, October 30: Join us for a screening of three short documentary films from Original Pursuit and Plumb Productions about two iconic species of the Pacific Northwest – the Southern Resident Orcas and the Chinook salmon they depend on.

The trilogy highlights transboundary and collaborative efforts of First Nations and non-profit organizations and features PSF partners at Lower Fraser Fisheries Alliance and Raincoast Conservation Foundation.

We’ll be joined by the filmmaker, Jessica Plumb, who will introduce her collection of films and participate in a lively panel discussion after the screening alongside the Pacific Salmon Foundation team and other special guests.

There will be a screening in Victoria at 7PM on October 14th, 2025 at the Vic Theatre and a screening in Abbotsford at 7PM on October 30th, 2025 at the Abbotsford Arts Centre.

To make this event accessible to all, tickets are available by donation – please donate what you are able to. Your donation supports PSF’s efforts to restore wild Pacific salmon and their habitats in B.C. and the Yukon.
 
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